Equity minimum pay demand "impossible", says ITC
The ITC's acting director, Charlotte Jones, has branded Equity's probable demand for a £400 minimum wage when the current contract runs out next spring as "impossible to achieve".
The claim won unanimous approval at the union's Annual Representative Council two weeks ago but both the ITC and the TMA claim it will result in "fewer theatres, smaller casts and less productions" or in more managements working outside the union agreement.
Mayoral candidates' mixed response to cultural event
Only two of the candidates for Mayor of London - Frank Dobson (Labour) and Susan Kramer (Lib. Dem.) - turned up at a House of Commons meeting organised by the Cultural Strategy Partnership. However both Kramer and Ken Livingstone (Independent) do mention the arts in their manifestos, both supporting the idea of an "arts card" which will give greater access to theatres. The scheme was put forward by the Cultural Strategy Partnership for London which includes representatives of the London Arts Board and London Borough Grants.